Schleisner-meyer



g- 1965 s. L. SCHLElSNER-MEYER 3,201,883

X-RAY VIEWER 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 24. 1961 INVENTOR .Sfaen Leopold Sch/eisner-Meyer ATTORNEY Aug. 24, 1965 s. L. SCHLElSNER-MEYER X-RAY VIEWER 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 24, 1961 INVENTOR Sloan Leupold .Sch/eisner-Meycr ATTORNEY Ill] 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 X-RAY VIEWER 52 'FT V F S. L. SCHLElSNER-MEYER Aug. 24, 1965 Filed Nov. 24, 1961 a 0 3H \3 3 L J 4, v r h N 6 N G La F F m T T m H W 6 HM M. r m My .m T M H H F H u n. r a m Mr T A T .U

:90am Leapo/a' Sch/eisner-Meyer Aug. 24, 1965 s. L. SCHLElSNER-MEYER X-RAY VIEWER 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Nov. 24, 1961 ATTORNEY R o w w m M P 3 5 m a M a IW d W 1L J 5 2/ n l m 9 L a 7 9 m w w l 5 M Q w J Aug. 24, 1965 s. SCHLElSNER-MEYER 3,201,383

X-RAY VIEWER Filed Nov. 24. 1961 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 I NVEN TOR 7.2 .Sfeen Leapa/a Sch/aisner-Meyer ATTORNEY g- 1965 s. L. SCHLElSNER-MEYER 3,201,883

X-RAY VIEWER 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed Nov. 24, 1961 INVENTOR 75 74 (57am Leopold .Sch/eisner-Meyer ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,201,883 X-RAY VIEWER Steen Leopold Schleisner-Meyer, Mount Wilson, Md.

(Rome State School, Box 550, Rome, NY.)

"Filed Nov. 24, 1961, Ser. No. 154,558

2 Claims. (Cl. 40106.1)

, each of which is glazed with panels of transparent plastic material and has conventional clips for mounting X-ray films against said panels. The frames are selectively movable up from the magazine by a reversible electrically driven'mechanism so as to be positioned in the viewing window. Behind the viewing window are located a plurality-of separately energizable lamps, each being provided with a reflector of a size to illuminate a standard 17 inch by 14 inch X-ray film. Each frame can hold 12 films disposed in two horizontally extending rows.

' It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide an X-ray viewer in which a large number of films may be stored and be quickly and easily moved to viewing 4 position from a magazine housed within the viewer, so as to save the radiologist or physician valuable time heretofore wasted in looking for film in stacks or filing cabinets and putting films into and removing the same from envelopes, etc.

It is another object of the invention to provide an X-ray viewer having a desk-like ledge or shelf in front of and below the viewing window to support papers, writing pads, 'etc., for study or the taking of notes while the films are being viewed.

, It is a furtherobject of the invention to provide a device of the character describedin which the various frames can be quickly and easily selected by the operation of push buttons for automatic movement to a position for raising thereof into viewing position in the viewer window.

It is another object of the invention to provide an X-ray viewer having a magazine holding a plurality of frames easily and quickly movable to and from a viewing position in front of a bank of separately energizable illuminating devices in which each frame is large enough for mounting thereon twohorizontally disposed rows of up to six films each for simultaneous viewing and comparison of an old set of films with a new set to determine the patients progress.

. It is a further object of the invention to provide a device of the character described comprising two separable cabinet sections which may readily be disconnected to facilitate'shipping, moving the sections through average sized doorways and other handling.

"It is yet another object of the invention to provide novel means for'interconnecting in operable condition the aforesaid separable sections.

Other and further objects of the invention will become apparent from a reading of the following specification taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention,

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the device of FIG- URE 1, showing internal mechanism of the viewer,

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view of the disclosure of FIGURE 2 from the right end thereof,

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged end elevational view in ver- 3,201,883 Patented Aug. 24, 1965 ti-cal medial section done of the film holding movable frames,

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged plan view of the showing of FIGURE 3,

FIGURE 6 is a further enlarged fragmentary elevational view in section taken on line 66 of FIGURE 5,

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the quickly operable coupling means for connecting the front and rear cabinet sections,

1 FIGURE 8 is a perspective view of a more highly mechanized species of the invention,

FIGURE 9 is an end elevational view of the disclosure of FIGURE 8,

FIGURE 10 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the central structure of the showing of FIGURE 9,

FIGURE 11 is an enlarged plan view in section taken on line 1111 of FIGURE 9,

FIGURE 12 is an enlarged fragmentary end elevational view of the frame lifting mechanism,

FIGURE 13 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the showing of FIGURE 12,

FIGURE 14 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the frame selecting bank of control switches,

FIGURE 15 is a side elevational view of the disclosure of FIGURE 14, and

FIGURE 16 is a fragmentary bottom plan view showing the stepped arrangement of control fingers forming a part of the invention.

With reference now to FIGURES l to 7 of the drawings, the numeral 20 generally designates the X-ray viewer as a whole. The viewer 20 is housed within atwo-piece cabinet structure comprising a relatively tall rear cabinet section 21 and a removable frontcabinet section 22 of table or desk height. The cabinet sections 21 :and 22 arequickly detachably interconnected by four hooks 23 operated by-externally accessible knobs 24 and engageable over internally extending latch pins 25, in known manner. The cabinet section 22 has a panel 26 forming a desk or work surface and serving as a mounting means for a control panel 27 (hereinafter more fullydescribed).

Attached to the inner surfaces of the end walls of the cabinet section 21 is a pair of vertically disposed parallel guide plates 28 and 29, the opposed faces of which are provided with a plurality of parallel guide ribs 30 which cooperate with grooved wheels or rollers 43 on film supporting frames 31, next to be described.

Each of the twenty or more film supporting frames 31 (shown in detail in FIG. 4) is formed of rigid plastic material or lightweight alloy and comprises a pair of relatively wide end elements 32 rigidly interconnected by three equally spaced horizontally disposed frame elements 33, 34 and 35. The opposed edges of the frame elements 32-35 are centrally grooved to receive the edges of clear plastic (or glass) panels 36, against which films 37 (FIG. 1) are quickly and easily detach'ably clipped by a plurality of spring fingers 38 of generally conventional construction. The bases of the clips 38 are flanged at 39 so that the clips 38 are held firmly in the opposed grooves in the frame elements 32-35 by the edges of the panels 36. An eye screw 40 is fixed to the upper central portion of each frame element 33 for selective engagement by a hook 41 by which each frame 31 can be raised up into a viewing window 42 by mechanism hereinafter more fully described.

Each end of frame element 32 is provided with an upper and a lower outwardly open recess 42' (FIGS. 5 and 6) into each of which is fixed the guide wheel 43 rotatably mounted on a fixed pin 44. Each wheel 43 is peripherally grooved at 45 to guidingly straddle the guide ribs 30 of the guide plates 28 and 29 described above.

The hook 41 by which the viewing frames 31 are selectively raised and lowered by engagement of said hook 41" with'one of thestaggered eye screws- 40,' is' raised and lowered"byavcord or cable 46 whichis wound upon or unwound from a pulley-shaped spool 47; The

spool47 is fixedly mountedon a' shaft 48 of a reduction gear pm 19; The enres-a9 is dfive'niby an gr c ng 'notor 50. '-'Tl 1e electr ic motor 50 is energized ir rn a gom veritional power supply-: and-is": controlled by; a copier}; tional double-throw switch 51 (HQ. 1) the; operating lever ofwhjch has' theiiisiial three positions inwhich the, middle position is the i deeriergized "positio'ril which the two eXt'reine positions operate the-motor tofr'aise the selected frame of reverse -the-'- motor lower "said frame, is? p c t y y,

'L'The gearbox 49 anditheniotor50 are mounted on the upper surface of a rectangular frame 52 -whichjsjnounted 1 a rear cabinet sectionZl'; Lamps in this speciesxare shown as'beingitubulafand as being mounted withtheir filaments (not shown) located closely adjacent the focal lines of thev two sets of parabolic-reflectors formed ,by

' trough-shaped members F555 and dividing partitions 57.

A magazine generally-desigriated j61, in which film mountingif rames' ;31"" are;vertica1lymovably mounted, a

7 comprises a pair of fend walls. andi ti i slotted' at their upper ends'tto' provide vertical; guides-64', in which the frame supporting and guiding-pins65 ride; The pins 65 are selectively engaged,ldepending'upon' the foreland aft posifor 'fore' and 5 a'ft manual" movement inth'eupper portion of the cabinet section 21 by fourrollers 5 3, 1"1dllg;in; t h' channels or two h"ar1nel bars-T54L-fiked to'the; end -wall lot the cabinet section 'zleadjacent its"-top wall; l 1"e ee tangular frame SZ -ha's epair. of horlilzontally disposed trough-shapedv parabolic .reflec ors 55--rnoufnted therein a he 4 e rality oflamps 5t? positioned-adjacent-the fociof flec'tors 55' and'fspaced theralolngjrt portions of the a'reasof films' to be c ppedftotheviewiiig panels 36 by the :clips 383 Each'l reflector '55 is further as brute magaz nean a pair" of frar'n'e-liftiiig fingers '66 s'ynchronously'raised anqiovqerdby'a pair f-threaded 'shafts 67." The shafts 67- 'are synchronously intefcona ncted y a pair or 'sprocket -likefpull'eys "sw mwear 1 upper ends, "and b an interconnecting? toothed 'belt chain 69. engaged' aroun the 'puueys s "onei'or the threaded Sli'aft's'167 I'is fd'riven' 'by conventional mechanism I generally designated 70; 'andjincluding a motor 71 {and a reduction gear box 721 -The motor 71 ,is reversibly controlled by a? double-throw switch 51"1rnounte'd1ona conswitches- 58; 'f forisel'ectively controlling- 1, energia at'ion of various ones ofthe lamps 60. T

.r The; magazineaoli isfp'jrti lly supportedfandj'guided for tore;and 'aft' rnovemer'lt's by apair of peripherally grooved provided with' -divid'er fpanels- 57"51jsoi spaced; to corre spond to the ositions ofthe'side mar in oft he filmsf to be elliminat ed by the reflector cells definedby jsaid par titiofis 572; lt s'hould' be? noted Lthat circular and7or V tiibularjllamp bulbslcould be used in' addition-to the lam s 56 or be substituted therefor. Each lamp56 i s provided with a push-button switch 5 81ni'ountedon the control is desirably employed-for a master control 'for-turning'o'n all of"the lamp s"56-'in one"- position'or in 'anothei'lpo sition thereof "for turning oifall-of the lamps that may have been separately energized by the push-,buttons1 58 1 In or'der to'viewpne or more films mounted'on' oneo t the phiralityof tram es ji constitutinga rnagazine of films, the operator moves" the frame 52 're'arwa'rdly or forwardly on its supporting tracks 54 to a 'position which brings the hook '41 over the selected one of the eye 7 screws 40 corresponding to the selected frame 31-.1 The hook 41 is 'then engaged with the eye screwofthe selected frame and the motor'control-" switch "51 is'rnoved from its central o'fi. 'p'osition to anextreme position cor 'rolle rsj73 which "ride: on the upper edge of the verticalflangeof a an le bar track 74Pfixed1tb theffl oor panel of the cabinet section 21' adjacent eachend thereof; The fore and aft movement of the" magazine 61 is af-' fected andcont'rolled by a pair of threaded shlafts 75 and 76 the ends of which are' fixe'd in thrust bearings' 7 51; and 75b 51157551 and 7th a which l e driven s n i 'o:

1 nisr'rib'ya toothed belt or sprocket--ch ain"77'engaged over and aroundfa air'or sprrjacketsv 78 fixed to the'nea'rends of the shafts- 75' and 76; Thefs haft'76and thereby-the shaft 75 are driven by areve'rsible electric motor 7 9fcon trolled bya double throw switch 8t mounted onacontrol' panel 81; The irnotor 79 is;coupled'tolthef'shatt'jdby a 1 'A; plurality of -push-button'fswitchesl85 all the v nt rol panel 81- selecti'vely close the circuits to a seriesof'switchesi 86 which are positioned, as shown FIGURE 14, g in: a

" r'o'w eirfending acro'ssthe bottomf of the magazine 61.

responding to the fra'me raising operation of the'rnotor Each of the switches 8 6=isp'o'sitioned to be engageable by a depending finger' 87 on oneerthe frames SI. so as to arrest movement of themagaiine; 6'1 when the switch '86 is operated by its control finger {87, the' fingers extendingstepwise, as shown in FI E is. 'The fingers are guided "andheld-a'gainst rotation on the r'otating 'sh'afts' 67 by a pair {of channel" bar guides hired to the end wall mate the filmsto be studied. Ifneeded to 10cm the d"e-' '1 sired films ,-the master control-switch:59 could beeperated toturn' on all of-th eili'ghts 56 temporarily, and then be returned to its extreme position to extinguishfa'll ofthe lights preparatory to';ene'rgi zing only those behind thefilms tofbe studied at afgiven'viewing'. When the studyis completed the 'rnaster control switch 59 is ope r ated to extinguishall of thelamps 56,;and finally the control lever 51 is operated'to lower the frame back into its storage position inthe-rnagazirie; I i

lnthe. modification of the'invention; illustrated iriFIG-i A URES 8. through .16, parts which are sllbstantially'identical with those of the first described species are designated'by primed numeralsfwhich, unprimed, were used toindicate their sco'u nter-partslin the species of FIGURES} through} 8. In the modified showing of.FIGURES 8 through. l6 j W made without departing from thespirit o fthe ?QP;-9 ihiflpPt fid d: lfiim mx a; v

a film illuminating reflector unit generaIIy designated 52 'fix dly mcunt m e l as l were? in v of thecabihet section2 1 and embracing a squared nut To view x-ray'films-with the'app" atus ofFIGURES 8 through 16, the operatorfirst turns a-master control switch 90 toits-on position. Next,'one' of the pushbutton switches 85, corresponding to the frame carrying theifilms to be studied' is pushed to set one of the selector switches 86: for being automatically operated by the pin 87 on the bottom edge ofjthe selected frame 31". The lever. is then rnoved to its fonfp'osition'fiand is held in said position untillthe magazine- 6 1 has moved to bringthe selected pi'n 87 into'stopping iengagement with the switch 86 connectedj'into the Tcifcuit by operation-of the selecting b utton '85. 7 Next; the switch"5 1"Eis moved:to its 'frameraising' position and: is' held in said positionuntil the frame selected has been raised to viewing position; i The desired'light-or lights are then-turned on by pushing the fbuttons r5 8" 'corresponding'to the films to" be villu- 'While but, two, formsofthe invention been shown and described herein ,--it will be readilyapp'arent to those skilledin the art that many minormodifications maybe invention or What is claimed is:

1. An X-ray film viewer of the character described comprising; a cabinet, a plurality of similar rectangular frames having means by which a plurality of X-ray films are adapted to be removably secured in each of said frames, a window in the upper section of the front wall of said cabinet, a plurality of reflectors mounted in fixed position in the upper section of said cabinet behind said window, a light source mounted in each of said reflectors at the focal point thereof, means by which said light sources are adapted to be selectively energized, a magazine having a bottom wall and a pair of longitudinally spaced vertically disposed parallel end walls between which said frames are slidably mounted in spaced parallel relation for up and down movement, means by which said magazine is mounted in the lower section of said cabinet below said reflectors for back and forth movement therein, said end walls being each provided with a plurality of vertically disposed transversely spaced parallel slots which extend downwardly from the upper ends thereof, each of said frames being provided with a pair of longitudinally aligned pins, which extend outwardly from the ends thereof through said slots whereby said frames are guided in the up and down movement thereof, power means by which said magazine is adapted to be moved to bring a selected frame into and out of position to be moved upwardly from said magazine into viewing position between said window and said reflectors; said power means comprising a pair of spaced parallel horizontally disposed screws which are rotatably mounted in fixed position in said cabinet and operatively connected to said magazine, and a first reversible motor by which said screws are adapted to be rotated in unison; and frame elevating means by which a selected frame is adapted to be raised up from said magazine into viewing position between said window and said reflectors and returned to said magazine, said frame elevating means comprising; a pair of longitudinally spaced vertically disposed parallel screws which are rotatably mounted in fixed position in said cabinet one adjacent each end wall of said magazine, a second reversible motor by which said vertically disposed screws are adapted to be rotated in unison, an internally threaded nut mounted on each of said vertically disposed screws which are raised and lowered by the rotation of said vertically disposed screws, guide means by which said nuts are constrained against rotation on said screws during rotation thereof, a finger carried by each of said nuts in position to engage the said pins carried by a selected frame which has been moved into alignment with said vertically disposed screws and thereby raise said selected frame up from said magazine into viewing position when said vertically disposed screws are rotated in one direction and lower said selected frame back into said magazine when said vertically disposed screws are rotated in the opposite direction, means by which the actuation of said second reversible motor is selectively controlled; a first switching means by which said first reversible motor is energized in accordance with a selected frame to move said magazine forwardly from normal at rest position, a second switching means which is adapted to be actuated by said selected frame to deenergize said first reversible motor when said selected frame has been moved into alignment with said vertically disposed screws, and a third switching means by which said first reversible motor is energized to return said magazine to normal at rest position.

2. An X-ray film viewer as defined by claim 1 in which said second switching means comprises a plurality of normally closed switches one of which is associated with each of the said frames mounted in said magazine, and in which a pin is mounted on each of said frames in position to engage the said associated switch to move it from normal closed position to open position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 857,630 6/07 Keeler -67 977,080 11/10 Duncan 312-199 X 1,219,693 3/17 Bentley 129-161 1,500,867 7/24 Glover 40106.1 1,903,008 3/33 Michlik et al. 40-130 2,079,024 5/37 McCauley 40-63 2,321,229 6/43 Miller 129-161 2,384,355 9/45 Torrence 40-53 2,386,520 10/45 Watson 129-161 2,534,851 12/50 Branzell 40-79 2,646,636 7/53 Gandee 40-1061 X 2,807,109 9/57 Rockhill et al. 40-65 2,821,037 1/58 Westphal 40-1061 2,915,195 12/59 Crosby 312-199 X FOREIGN PATENTS 3,012 1909 Great Britain. 457,650 3/15 France. 1,142,655 4/57 France.

ROBERT E. PULFREY, Primary Examiner.

L. I. LENNY, JEROME SCHNALL, Examiners. 

1. AN X-RAY FILM VIEWER OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED COMPRISING; A CABINET, A PLURALITY OF SIMILAR RECTANGULAR FRAMES HAVING MEANS BY WHICH A PLURALITY OF X-RAY FILMS ARE ADAPTED TO BE REMOVABLY SECURED IN EACH OF SAID FRAMES, A WINDOW IN THE UPPER SECTION FO THE FRONT WALL OF SAID CABINET, A PLURALITY OF REFLECTORS MOUNTED IN FIXED POSITION IN THE UPPER SECTION OF SAID CABINET BEHIND SAID WINDOW, A LIGHT SOURCE MOUNTED IN EACH OF SAID REFLECTORS AT THE FOCAL POINT THEREOF, MEANS BY WHICH SAID LIGHT SOURCES ARE ADAPTED TO BE SELECTIVELY ENERGIZED, A MAGAZINE HAVING A BOTTOM WALL AND A PAIR OF LONGITUDINALLY SPACED VERTICALLY DISPOSED PARALLEL END WALLS BETWEEN WHICH SAID FRAMES ARE SLIDABLY MOUNTED IN SPACED PARALLEL RELATION FOR UP AND DOWN MOVEMENT, MEANS BY WHICH SAID MAGAZINE IS MOUNTED IN THE LOWER SECTION OF SAID CABINET BELOW SAID REFLECTORS FOR BACK AND FORTH MOVEMENT THEREIN, SAID END WALLS BEING EACH PROVIDED WITH A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY DISPOSED TRANSVERSELY SPACED PARALLEL SLOTS WHICH EXTEND DOWNWARDLY FROM THE UPPER ENDS THEREOF, EACH OF SAID FRAMES BEING PROVIDED WITH A PAIR OF LONGITUDINALLY ALIGNED PINS WHICH EXTEND OUTWARDLY FROM THE ENDS THEREOF THROUGH SAID SLOTS WHEREBY SAID FRAMES ARE GUIDED IN THE UP AND DOWN MOVEMENT THEREOF, POWER MEANS BY WHICH SAID MAGAXINE IS ADAPTED TO BE MOVED TO BRING A SELECTED FRAME INTO AND OUT OF POSITION TO BE MOVED UPWARDLY FROM SAID MAGAZINE INTO VIEWING POSITION BETWEEN SAID A PAIR OF SPACED PARALLEL HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED SCREWS A PAIR OF SPACED PARALLEL HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED SCREWS WHICH ARE ROTATABLE MOUNTED IN FIXED POSITION IN SAID CABINET AND OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID MAGAZINE, AND A FIRST REVERSIBLE MOTOR BY WHICH SAID SCREWS ARE ADAPTED TO BE ROTATED IN UNISON; AND FRAME ELEVATING MEANS BY WHICH SELECTED FRAME IS ADAPTED TO BE RAISED UP FROM SAID MAGAZINE INTO VIEWING POSITION BETWEEN SAID WINDOW AND SAID REFLECTORS AND RETURNED TO SAID MAGAZINE, SAID FRAME ELEVATING MEANS COMPRISING; A PAIR OF LONGITUDINALLY SPACED VERTICALLY DISPOSED PARALLEL SCREWS WHICH ARE RO- 